High-density array of micro-machined electrodes for neural stimulation
First Claim
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1. An electrode suitable to stimulate neural tissue having an electrode physical surface area, the electrode comprising:
- a conductive electrode base having a base surface area;
a plurality of micromachined protuberances on said electrode base, each protuberance having a height and a width; and
a conductive layer covering said plurality of conductive micromachined protuberances, wherein said conductive layer provides enhanced stability to the electrode under electrical stimulation;
wherein the plurality of conductive micromachined protuberances have an aspect ratio of height divided by width equal to or higher than 1 and the electrode physical surface area is at least 4 times the base surface area; and
wherein said physical surface area results in at least two orders of magnitude reduction in the electrode impedance at low frequencies relative to said base surface area.
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Abstract
The present invention is a micro-machined electrode for neural-electronic interfaces which can achieve a ten times lower impedance and higher charge injection limit for a given material and planar area.
72 Citations
36 Claims
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1. An electrode suitable to stimulate neural tissue having an electrode physical surface area, the electrode comprising:
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a conductive electrode base having a base surface area; a plurality of micromachined protuberances on said electrode base, each protuberance having a height and a width; and a conductive layer covering said plurality of conductive micromachined protuberances, wherein said conductive layer provides enhanced stability to the electrode under electrical stimulation; wherein the plurality of conductive micromachined protuberances have an aspect ratio of height divided by width equal to or higher than 1 and the electrode physical surface area is at least 4 times the base surface area; and wherein said physical surface area results in at least two orders of magnitude reduction in the electrode impedance at low frequencies relative to said base surface area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An electrode array suitable to stimulate neural tissue having an electrode physical surface area, the electrode array comprising:
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a lower flexible insulating layer;
a flexible conductive layer;a flexible conductive layer having a conductive layer surface area; an upper flexible insulating layer including voids exposing portions of said flexible conductive layer; and conductive micromachined protuberances on said portions of said flexible conductive layer, each of said conductive machined protuberances having a height and width, each of said conductive micromachined protuberances covered by an upper conductive layer; wherein the plurality of micromachined protuberances have an aspect ratio of height divided by width equal to or higher than 1, and the physical electrode surface is at least 4 times the conductive layer surface area; wherein said conductive layer provides enhanced stability to the electrode under electrical stimulation; and wherein said physical surface area results in at least two orders of magnitude reduction in the electrode impedance at low frequencies relative to said conductive layer surface area. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of increasing an electrode effective surface area comprising:
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providing an electrode base having a base surface area; micromachining conductive protuberances on the base surface area, each of said protuberances having a height and a width; and depositing a conductive material on said conductive protuberances to form an upper conductive layer; wherein the conductive protuberances have an aspect ratio of height divided by width equal to or higher than 1 and the electrode effective surface area is at least 4 times the base surface area; wherein said conductive layer provides enhanced stability to the electrode under electrical stimulation; and wherein said physical surface area results in at least two orders of magnitude reduction in the electrode impedance at low frequencies relative to said base surface area. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. An electrode suitable to stimulate neural tissue comprising:
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a conductive electrode base defining a base surface area; a plurality of conductive micromachined structures on the conductive electrode base, each conductive micromachined structure having a structure height and a structure width, each conductive micromachined structure covered by a conductive material, wherein said conductive layer provides enhanced stability to the electrode under electrical stimulation; the plurality of conductive micromachined structures defining an electrode physical surface the electrode physical surface comprising surfaces of the micromachined structures in combination with portions of the base area, said surfaces of the conductive micromachined structures having an extension variable in accordance with said structure height and said structure width, wherein the structure height of each conductive micromachined structure is in the range from the structure width of said each structure to a height where combinations of the structure heights and structure widths of the plurality of micromachined structures is such that said electrode physical surface is at least four times said base surface area; and wherein said physical surface area results in at least two orders of magnitude reduction in the electrode impedance at low frequencies relative to said base surface area. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
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Specification